On July 1, 2006, a Cessna A185E (registration N1972U) was involved in an aviation accident near Clear Lake, MN. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's misjudged flare that resulted in a hard landing and subsequent nose over. A factor to the accident was the grass runway that the forward landing gear dug into during the hard landing, resulting in the amphibian airplane nosing over. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
An amphibian airplane nosed over after landing on a turf runway. The pilot reported flipping onto its back when the forward landing gear touched down. Ground scars consistent with float width were observed.
Incident Overview
An amphibian airplane experienced a nose-over during landing on a turf runway. According to the pilot, the aircraft initially touched down on the main landing gear while he held the forward landing gear off the ground. When the forward landing gear subsequently made contact, the airplane "flipped onto its back."
Scene Description
First responders reported finding the airplane inverted, facing north. Local authorities noted that the wreckage was located in the grass area prior to the gravel and asphalt sections of the runway. Two distinct ground scars led to the main wreckage. The distance between the scars matched the width between the airplane's two floats. Relative to the runway direction, the right ground scar measured 103 feet in length, while the left scar measured 92 feet.
Weather Conditions
An automated weather observation system situated 7.2 nautical miles northwest of the airport reported winds from 270 degrees at 9 knots at the time of the incident.